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Enzyme-based CO2 capture for advanced life supportElevated CO2 levels in air can lead to impaired functioning and even death to humans. Control of CO2 is critical in confined spaces that have little physical or biological buffering capacity (e.g., spacecraft, submarines, or aircraft). A novel enzyme-based contained liquid membrane bioreactor was designed for CO2 capture and certain application cases are reported in this article. The results show that the liquid layer accounts for the major transport resistance. With addition of carbonic anhydrase, the transport resistance decreased by 71%. Volatile organic compounds of the type and concentration expected to be present in either the crew cabin or a plant growth chamber did not influence carbonic anhydrase activity or reactor operation during 1-day operation. Alternative sweep method studies, examined as a means of eliminating consumables, showed that the feed gas could be used successfully in a bypass mode when combined with medium vacuum pressure (-85 kPa) to achieve CO2 separation comparable to that with an inert sweep gas. The reactor exhibited a selectivity for CO2 versus N2 of 1400:1 and CO2 versus O2 is 866:1. The CO2 permeance was 1.44 x 10(-7) mol m-2 Pa-1 s-1 (4.3 x 10(-4) cm3 cm-2 s-1 cmHg-1) at a feed concentration of 0.1% CO2. These data show that the enzyme-based contained liquid membrane is a promising candidate technology that may be suitable for NASA applications to control CO2 in the crew or plant chambers.
Document ID
20040087939
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Ge, Jijun
(Sapient's Institute, Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States)
Cowan, Robert M.
Tu, Chingkuang
McGregor, Martin L.
Trachtenberg, Michael C.
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2002
Publication Information
Publication: Life support & biosphere science : international journal of earth space
Volume: 8
Issue: 4-Mar
ISSN: 1069-9422
Subject Category
Man/System Technology And Life Support
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG9-1923
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
NASA Discipline Life Support Systems
Non-NASA Center

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